A Forum on Human Rights and Democracy in Iran - Gozaar: They Called That Day “The New Day”

They Called That Day “The New Day”
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sefriyanm on 18/03/2009 16:00:00

Note: With the New Year approaching, we went to see Esmael Khoi, the
London-based man from Khorasan who taught philosophy in Tehran many years ago.
Khoi has a long history of intimacy with feelings and words and, after all these
years, he still concerns himself with the Persian language and Iranian culture.
We talked about the great Ferdowsi[1] and the reward he received for thirty
years of patience and serenity, the myth of Jamshid, and a time when justice and
goodness were present—at least in fables and legends. We talked about the
appeal of those same legends in our lives today and our hopes for the future
because, if what was then did not last, there is no doubt that this, too, shall
pass.
Mr. Khoi, let us begin our talk with Jamshid’s myth and the emergence of
Norooz, the way Ferdowsi describes it.
Yes. It happens to be a very timely remembrance. Many regard Ferdowsi as the
father of the Persian language. But this is not so. All Persian speaking people
are the true fathers and mothers of this language. However, the great Ferdowsi
is truly the father of Persian poetry, and its literary and historical writings,
an honorable man who composed the myths and the legends of this land in verse.
In connection with Norooz, Ferdowsi talks about the kingdom of Jamshid. Based on
his words, we must realize that if Norooz is not the most ancient Iranian
celebration, it is at least one of the oldest both in Iran and in the rest of
the world. Of course, there were many ancient celebrations from which only some
names and vague references are left in history. Whereas Norooz is still alive
and remains significant.
Ferdowsi introduces Norooz as the day when Jamshid’s reign began. Is this
correct?
Yes. In the Shahnameh, Ferdowsi attributes this celebration to Jamshid’s
victory and his royalty. Jamshid, of course, is a mythological figure and it is
said in the Shahnameh that he lived for one thousand years and reigned for
seventy. But apart from the mythological aspect of this legend, which sounds
unreal, I believe Ferdowsi was not talking about one man’s reign, but the
reign of an entire dynasty. In this legend, Jamshid spends fifty years of his
life teaching agriculture to Iranians, another fifty years teaching how to tend
their flocks, another fifty years on how to spin and knit garments, and so on.
This is how Jamshid teaches Iranians many skills and becomes a highly cultured
king. Because of his contributions, when he finally takes the throne, Iranians
honor and cherish that day and as Ferdowsi puts it: “They call that day the
New Day.” This new day is Norooz, the legacy of a great king.
You mentioned that Norooz is one of the oldest celebrations to have survived to
this day. To what do you attribute this endurance?
Iranians do not only celebrate Norooz as a historical reminiscence, it also
represents the harmony between their culture and nature. In celebrating Norooz,
it is not only the Iranians who unite with nature; nature also collaborates and
comes together with them. It is not only our year that begins with Norooz,
nature’s New Year also begins with it; the first day of Farvardin, the
beginning of spring. Even if we, as Iranians, forget Norooz, the earth and
nature will not. So as long as the earth and nature exist, Norooz will be
honored and celebrated. I even believe Norooz will one day be observed globally.
Even today it is widely recognized for its relation to nature and its renewal.
What place do spring and Norooz have in Iran’s poetry?
We have many verses that talk about spring in Persian literature. It would be
difficult to name one great poet during the last thousand years who has not
written a verse about the beauty of spring. Spring is one of the most ancient,
yet enduring topics in the world’s poetry and literature, and is subsequently
close to the hearts of all poets.
We’ve witnessed many conflicts between the religious and Iranian festivals and
celebrations over the past few years. Do you think the religious festivals can
overshadow the Iranian ones?
To answer your question we must look at the history of this conflict. After Iran
was attacked by Arabs, the spirit of the Iranians was torn and polarized. While
Iranians were forced to accept Islam, they were kept outside Kaaba indefinitely.
As the poet says: “I went to circle the Kaaba, but they did not let me inside
the shrine.” There are many examples of this poetry that we do not wish to
discuss here. Iranians never forgot this attack, the one that resulted in the
destruction of many libraries and the raids on many of their cities. One western
historian has said that this attack resulted in five hundred years of regression
in Iran’s civilization, as well as that of the larger global civilization.
For all these reasons, Iranians have maintained a permanent grudge against the
Arab invaders in their consciousness. In the long stretch of history since then,
an Iranian becomes a Muslim, but not with all his or her spirit. He or she
remains an Iranian while becoming a Muslim, two identities that clash from deep
within. A Jewish man is at home with his religion, since Judaism has its roots
in the historical events within the Jewish society. So even if all Jewish people
abandon their religion, Judaism maintains its glory and beauty; even if no one
believes in it anymore. Islam is the same for Arabs; a religion that flourished
in Arab culture and Arab society. The natural and historical religion for an
Iranian is Zoroastrianism. It is in this belief system that the Iranian spirit
can merge and flow naturally.
So you somehow attribute this conflict and contrast to an unharmonious language,
nature, and religion?
An Iranian always struggles with his unity within Islam and that is why there is
a strange contradiction in his spirit between his identity as an Iranian and as
a Muslim. This contradiction will not go away until one of these identities
vanishes or fades in comparison to the other. For example, Egyptians lost their
language and the world hardly makes a distinction between them and the Arabs.
But in Iran, fortunately, since the Persian language survived—not just on
account of Ferdowsi, but by the collective attempt of all Iranians—the culture
survived too, and with it the phenomenon of being an Iranian. As an aftermath of
such survival, a conflict between being an Iranian and a Muslim began. And this
conflict brought many challenges!
This conflict sometimes brings out Iranian nationalism and sometimes Islamic
fundamentalism. The obvious examples of these in recent history are Reza Shah
and Khomeini: one emerging from our Iranian spirit and the other from our
Islamic spirit. One attempts to wipe out any trace of religious beliefs, while
the other struggles to remove any sign of Iranian identity, and unfortunately
this venture has a long way to go. Not that I have any problem with Arabs, but I
do have an issue with advocating Arabization, the same as becoming overly
Westernized. But these two tendencies are quite different. There is a difference
between being an Arab and Arabization. Arab nations today house some of the most
oppressed people in the world, and I like them and sympathize with them. But
advocating Arabization damages our nationality and culture. Obviously an Iranian
with substance will fight against Arabization, especially when he or she is
conscience about his or her nationality.
Let’s go back to Norooz. This is a cherished celebration for all Iranian
ethnic groups, is it not?
Of course. Now that the Iranian part of our spirit is under pressure, this
strain and austerity has led all of us, including Kurds, Balouches, Lors, and
even Iranian Arabs to come to a realization and celebrate this Iranian festival
in a more magnificent and enhanced way. And what a pleasure this is.
Thank you so much for your time Mr. Khoei, is there anything else you would like
to add?
I would like to extend my warmest regards to the people of Iran and the rest of
the world as we enter this New Year. It is my hope that everyone stays healthy
and safe for this year and many years to come. Happy Norooz!
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[1] Author of Iran's national epic, the Shahnameh, which was written entirely in
Persian.